Kangaroo target ads

Kangaroo, the on-demand service from BBC Worldwide, Channel 4 and ITV, aims to offer targeted advertising, targeting users by location, age or demographic profile.

The service’s backers are considering introducing a registration process on the service’s homepage, which would help track how users access video content and ensure effective advertising. Users would initially be asked to submit details such as their sex or date of birth, with the possibility of more detailed information being captured in future.

Errol Baran, Channel 4’s head of new media advertising, said the registration process and targeted advertising offering would be unlikely to be up and running at launch, which is expected to be in the summer, but could be a “phase two development”.As the service nears launch, details are emerging about its ad sales arrangements. ITV and Channel 4 will handle ad sales around their own content, while BBC Worldwide is seeking to appoint a third party to handle ad sales around its content. Both ITV and Channel 4 are pitching for the BBC Worldwide contract.